Workshop Dates: Thursday, Feb. 25 - Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010
DEADLINE TO SIGN-UP: Jan. 15, 2010
For more detail on this workshop, follow this link to our Nikonians discussion forum.
Winter time in Yosemite is peaceful serenity at its best: the least number of tourists in the Valley while a blanket of white snow covers the valley, dotting the trees and providing great contrast to the stark granite walls.
This workshop will focus on the numerous locations in the Yosemite Valley that are complemented by the snow season as well as timed for one of the few rare scenes in Yosemite that happens only once a year for about 10 days in only the perfect conditions: the backlit illumination of Horsetail Fall by the setting sun, called 'The Firefall' as immortalized by the original 1973 Galen Rowell photo. All three sunset opportunities of the workshop will devoted to capturing this elusive visual phenomenon.
ITINERARY:
Day 1 - Following an early afternoon session at the meeting location (the Curry Village Lounge) reviewing the workshop schedule, safety, photographic concerns and techniques, we will depart for our first location at Cook Meadow. From Cook Meadow we will head down to the Merced River at Swinging Bridge before departing for an early dinner at Yosemite Lodge. Immediately after dinner we depart for Night One in the attempt of capturing the elusive 'Firefall' phenomenon at Horsetail Fall. We will then return for group editing and review of the day's images.
Day 2 - Following an early breakfast, we will head to Happy Isles to begin a full morning trek down the Merced River, capturing river scenes and foliage against the valley's granite walls. We will conclude the trek near LeConte Memorial, where we will board the shuttle bus to Yosemite Lodge for lunch. After lunch, we will head to Bridalveil Fall for photography of the only year-round fall in the valley and the beautiful ice formations around its base, followed with an iconic winter photo opportunity of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge in the afternoon light. Following an early dinner, we will depart for Night Two of capturing the sunlit glow of Horsetail Fall. We will then return for group editing and review of the day's images.
Day 3 - Following an early breakfast, we will head to Cathedral Beach for sunrise on El Capitan before moving on to Cook's Meadow for morning light on the foliage and surroundings. We will then head to Yosemite Lodge for lunch, followed by time spent in the El Capitan Meadow, directly below the monolith and opposite the striking Cathedral Spires & Rocks. Following an early dinner, we will depart for the final opportunity to capture the elusive shot of the ephemeral Horsetail Fall. We will then return for group editing and review of the day's images.
Day 4 - Following an early breakfast, we will depart to the east end of the valley up to Mirror Meadow. We will return for final edits and, following lunch, a slideshow of everyone's best images to conclude the workshop by mid-afternoon, allowing return to Fresno International Airport for late afternoon/early evening departures.
